Chapter 5

The next three days blurred into a suffocating cycle of performance and barely contained chaos.

Every morning, Zara woke to the relentless thud of weights from the home gym. Kai punished his body like he was fighting demons, grunting with each rep, the sound vibrating through the walls. She would lie in bed, fists clenched, reminding herself why she hated him.

Every evening, they were paraded like trophies. A quick coffee run where Kai’s arm stayed possessively around her waist while cameras clicked. A study session in the library where his large hand rested high on her thigh under the table, fingers occasionally tightening in silent warning whenever someone glanced their way. A late-night “romantic” walk around the illuminated football field, PR snapping photos as Kai pulled her close and pressed a kiss to her temple for the cameras.

Each touch burned.

Each forced smile chipped away at her soul.

Each lingering look made her question her own sanity.

And every single night, Zara lay awake replaying that moment against the wall, Kai’s hard body pinning her, his mouth claiming hers like he owned her. She hated how much she craved the memory.

On the fourth night, everything shattered.

Zara had just ended a brutal phone call with her brother. His voice had been weak, broken, and filled with betrayal. “How could you, Zara? Pictures of you smiling with that monster are everywhere. Have you forgotten what they did to me? Have you forgotten I can’t even walk without pain because of them?”

The guilt had crushed her. The anger had ignited something dangerous inside her chest.

She stormed out of her room in nothing but an oversized sleep shirt, eyes red and blazing with unshed tears. Her bare feet slapped against the floor as she entered the living room.

Kai was sprawled on the couch, shirtless, sweatpants riding low on his hips, watching game footage on his laptop. The moment he saw her, his expression shifted. He closed the laptop slowly and stood, muscles flexing.

“What happened?” His voice was low, cautious.

“My brother called,” Zara said, her voice cracking with raw pain. “He saw the pictures. He thinks I’ve betrayed him. He thinks I’ve chosen you, the person who destroyed his life, over my own family. He sounded so broken, Kai. Because of this lie. Because of us.”

Kai’s jaw tightened. The muscle there ticked visibly. “You knew what this deal was when you agreed to it, Zara. We both did.”

That was the breaking point.

“You think this is easy for me?” Zara shouted, stepping closer until she was right in his face. Tears spilled freely down her cheeks now. “I have to smile and pretend to want you while my brother is falling apart on the phone! I have to let you touch me like you own me when every second makes me sick!”

Kai’s control snapped completely.

He crossed the remaining distance in two powerful strides and grabbed her arms, firm, but not bruising. “You knew the consequences! You wrote that damn article knowing it could ruin everything!”

The slap came fast and hard.

Zara’s palm cracked across his cheek with enough force to snap his head to the side. The sound echoed sharply through the house.

For a heartbeat, everything went deathly silent.

Kai slowly turned his face back to her. A bright red handprint bloomed on his left cheek. His eyes were wide with shock, breathing ragged.

“You… slapped me,” he said, voice dangerously low.

Zara’s chest heaved, tears streaming. Her hand still stung. “Yes! And I’ll do it again if you keep pretending this is normal! I hate you, Kai Reynolds. I hate you for what your team did to my brother. I hate you for forcing me into this nightmare. And I hate myself for letting you make me feel things I shouldn’t feel!”

She raised her hand again, trembling with fury.

This time, Kai caught her wrist mid-air. His grip was strong but careful. He didn’t squeeze. He didn’t retaliate. He just held her there, eyes locked on hers, breathing hard.

“Zara…” His voice cracked slightly. “Stop.”

She yanked her wrist free, chest heaving. “Don’t you dare say my name like that. Don’t you dare look at me like you care. You don’t care about anyone but yourself and your precious NFL dream!”

Kai took a half-step back, rubbing the stinging mark on his cheek. For the first time since she’d met him, he looked… lost. Guilty. Human.

“I’m sorry,” he said quietly, the words sounding foreign on his tongue. “I didn’t mean for any of this”

“Save it!” Zara screamed. “Your apologies mean nothing. You’re just like the rest of them, selfish, arrogant, willing to destroy lives to protect your image.”

She turned sharply on her heel and stormed toward her bedroom. Kai followed, reaching out.

“Zara, wait, we need to talk about this.”

She whirled around at her door. “There’s nothing left to talk about! Stay away from me, Kai. Just… stay the hell away.”

She slammed the door so hard the entire frame rattled. The lock clicked loudly.

Inside her room, Zara collapsed against the door, sliding down to the floor as heavy sobs tore from her chest. Her palm still burned. Her heart was a chaotic storm of rage, guilt, grief, and something far more terrifying, unwanted desire.

She hated him.

She hated him so much it hurt.

But the worst part was the small, traitorous voice in her head whispering that when he had held her wrist, when he had looked at her with that raw regret… she had almost believed him.

**********

In the living room, Kai stood frozen, staring at her closed door.

The red mark on his cheek throbbed.

He had been slapped by plenty of opponents on the field. Never by a woman. Never by someone who made him feel this twisted storm of emotions.

He walked slowly to her door and pressed his forehead against the wood. His voice came out rough, almost broken.

“Zara… I’m sorry. I really am.”

No answer.

Only the sound of her muffled crying reached him.

Kai closed his eyes, fists clenched at his sides.

He wanted to break the door down. He wanted to pull her into his arms and kiss her until they both forgot why they were supposed to hate each other.

Instead, he turned away and walked back to the couch, dropping down heavily.

For the first time in years, the star quarterback who feared nothing felt completely lost.

And as he sat there in the silence, one terrifying thought kept repeating in his mind:

What if this fake relationship stops feeling fake?